Grain-car door



May 31, 1927. 1,630,680

c. l. TWEDT ET AL GRAIN CAR DOOR Original Filed NOV- 20. 19 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 1927 c. I. TWEDT ET AL GRAIN CAR DOOR S Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed NOV. 20. 1924 May 1927" c. i. TWEDT ET AL GRAIN CAR noon Original Filed Nov. 20. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 31, 1927.

FFICE.

CARL I. TWEDT AND MARTIN HEGG, OF LEONARD, NORTH DAKOTA.

GRAIN-CAB DOOR.

Application filed November 20, 1924, Serial No. 751,163,

This invention relates to grain-car doors, and more particularly to an auxiliary door structure adapted for attachment to the ordinary freight-car and providing a vertically shiftalole door having a tight sealing en gagement and connection with the ordinary door at the sides of the opening of the door, so that grain may be stored within the car.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character, the auxiliary doors of which are capable of storage in the upper part of the freight-car where they are out of the way, thus permitting the car to be employed for the transportation of other materials in the ordinary way.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved means for controlling the movements of the auxiliary doors into and out of operative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this'character wherein the doors are so constructed that they may be readily and cheaply produced and the sections thereof may be readily replaced when they become damaged by use or accident.

These and other objects we attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of 39 our invention and wherein Figurel is a fragmentary side elevation of a freight-car having grain-car doors constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof, the roof being removed;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; i

Figure l is an enlarged detail view showing the engagement between the tracks of the door sections, and the manner of mounting the tracks upon the car door frame:

Figure 5 is a detail vertical sectional view taken through a portion of the car door;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3, the housing of the control mechanism for the door being sl iown in section;

Figure 7 is a. perspective view of one end of one of the door sections;

Figure 8 is an enlarged section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6; 3

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the latching mechanism of the door; 7

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the free end of the lever employed for moving the door to operative position.

Renewed April 12, 1927.

13, the connection between the flanges 13 and 13 being in the form ofa sweeping curve, as indicated at 17. The inner ends of the flanges 13 are provided with angular portions 18 forming stops. The horizontal portions 16 ot the vertical standards 12 at opposite sides of the car are vertically spaced from one another, as more clearly shown in Figure 8, this spacing being sufficient to accommodate between the flanges of the upper and lower horizontal members the door 15 at one side of the car.

Each door 15 comprises a plurality of transversely extending sections 19, each provided at its inner face at its upper and lower edges with corner rabbets 20 which combine when two sections are superimposed to form a housing groove 21. Each door section 19 is provided with a plurality of vertically extending reinforcing pieces 22, the ends of which are formed with eyes 23, Figures 3 and 5, which lie within the grooves 21 and are designed for the reception of longitudinally extending shafts 24 which likewise are disposed within the grooves which provide a housing therefor. Alternate door sections are provided centrally with two of these reinforcing members, while the remaining door sections are provided with a singlereinforcing member, the eye of which fits between the eyes of. the reinforcing sections 22 of the coacting door sections at op posite sides thereof, thus preventing relative longitudinal displacement of the door sections 19. This isfurther prevented by means of the end reinforcing members provided for the doors which are also positioned to act as stops preventing such transverse displacement. The ends of the shaft are provided with removable collars 25 normally preventing withdrawal of the shaft. Attentionis directed to the fact that, that portion of the vertical support 12 lying between (ill the flanges 13 and 14 is discontinued at the same point as the upper end of the flange 14 these rollers are freely directed through the roller and hearing, so that when the plate is removed the shaft is readily removed for replacement either of the shaft or roller. The rollers 27 are carried by brackets 30 secured to the outer faces of the sections, these brackets having an extension 31 upon which the roller is mounted.

Mounted upon the side of the car, at that side of the car door opening opposite to that at which the ordinary car door 32 moves in opening, is arranged control mechanism whereby the door 15 may be elevated. This control mechanism embodies a shaft 33 for each door, the ends of which are mounted in the upper horizontal extension 16 which prefembly consists of thebeams supporting the roof. This shaft has secured thereto, at

points in alignment with opposite sides of.

the door with which it is associated, pairs of stop collars 3st between which one end of a flexible cable 35 is secured to the shaft. The lower end of this cable is secured to the door at the lower end thereof, as indicated at 36. The end of this shaft exteudsinto a housing 37 carried by the side wall 38 of the car and is provided with a gear 39 meshing with a gear -10 upon the upper end of the shaft 41 mounted in hearings42 upon the side wall within the housing. The lower end of the shaft M has a socond gear 42 meshing with the gear 43 mounted in a hearing 4% carried by a plate secured to the inner wall of the war and having at its outer surface a tubular extension 46, the outer face of which is preferably flush with the outer face of the car. The outer end of the shaft is included within this tubular extension and is squared, as

at 4:7, for the reception of a ratchet wrench.

Theinner end of the shaft 4-3 extends through the wall of the hous1ng37 and is l sin'lilarly constructed. By rotating the shaft 43, the vertical shaft 41 is rotated and accordingly the-horizontal winding shaft 33, with the result that the door may be eleated at any desired point. Upon the shaft 4-1, 'withiu'the housing, is preferably arranged a ratchet gear 4K8 having an associated pawl 49 provided with an operating stem 50 operable fromthe exterior of the car. This operating stem is forced inwardly by the pawl 4:9 which is flexible and will ride over the ratchet teeth and permit the shaft to be rotated in a direction winding the cable thereon but preventing opposite lllUVti' ment of the shaft. When the operating handle is moved outwardly, the shaft 253 may be rotated in a direction permitting the door to lower.

Mounted upon the horizontal members 16 are levers 51, one for each door 15, each lever being pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane and being connected with the horizontal member by a spring 52 tending to move the free end of the lever in a direction away from the door with which it is designed. to cooperate. This free end of the lover provided with an angular pivoted yoke 53 receiving the upper edge of the door it moves horizontally transversely of the car into inoperative position. To each lover, adjacentthe free end thereof, is attached one end of a cable 54 which is directed through a pulley 55 arranged over the door with which the lever is designed to co-operato, through a second pulley 56 and finally through the wall of the car door at a point adjacent the outer end of the Olillfil'filllng mechanism coiltrolling the hoisting of the door, as indicated at 5". liy grasping a ring 58 secured to the outer. end of this cable and giving the same a sharp jerk or pull, the lever through its engagement with the door by the yoke 53 will give the door an impulse toward the side of the car causing it to move outwardly over the tracks to a point where it will move downwardly by gravity of its own weight. Prior to this operation, the ratchet mechanism is, of course, released.

lVhile the doors are horizontally sup ported in the inoperative position, in which position one door is indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, the weight of the door is sup ported by the rollers 27 which rest upon the upper surface of the continuation 13 of the flange 13. When in 1 vertical position, thrust against; the doors is taken up by the rollers 26, thus permitting the door to move easily even though a (misiderahle weightof grain be thereugainst. In order that the door may be heldin the lowered position, we provide a latching mechanism there-tor, one form of which is shown in Figure 9. in this ligure :1. plate 5.) is shown as slidahly iliruclml through the flange 13, the plate hnvinga slot 60 therein in which operates a pin {3i carried by a hell crankoperating lever (12. This plate wedges the door inwardly and maintains the same in closed position by the friction thus yn'ovided.

till

It will, of course, be obvious that the straw ture hereinhoiore setrlorth is capable of a certain r1 nge of change and nlodilizmtion wlthout materially departing from the spirit of our invention, and we accordingly do not limit ourselvesto such specific structure ea:- cept as heremafter clanned.

Vi e cla'im v 1. T he combination with a freight-car hav ing the usual side door opening and shittable door upon the exterior of the car closing said opening, or" vertical tracks located at opposite upon said tracks from a. vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the upper part of the car where the door opening is vacated, means tor shitting said door upon the tracks from said vertical to said horizontal position operable trom the exterior of the car, and means operable from the exterior of the car tor engaging said door while in horizontal position and shitting it towardthe door opening a distance suliicient for said door to complete its movement into vertical position by gravity.

The combination with a freight-car having the usual side door pening and shittable door upon the exterior of the car closing said opening, of vertical tracks located at opposite sides of the door opening within the car and having a sealing engagement with the sides of the door opening, horizontal tracks connected with said vertical tracks and extending transversely of the car, a door shittable upon said tracks from a vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the upper part of the car where the door opening is vacated, means for shifting said door upon the tracks from said vertical to said horizontal position operable from the exterior of the car, means operable from the exterior of the car for engaging said door while in horizontal position and shifting it toward the door opening a distance sufficientfor said door to complete its movement into vertical position by gravity, including a lever pivoted to swing in a horizontal plane and having at its free end means for receiving the edge of the door remote from the car opening when the door is in horizontal position, and a flexible con nection with said lever having its terminus located exterior-1y of the car whereby the free end of the lever may be shifted toward the car door opening.

3. The combination with a treight-car having the usual side door opening and shiftable door upon the exterior of the car closing said openin of vertical tracks located at opposite sides of the door opening Within the car and having a sealing engagement with the sides of the door opening, horizontal tracks connected with said vertical tracks and extending transversely of the car, a door shittable upon said tracks from a vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the upper part of the car where the door opening is vacated, means for shifting said door upon the tracks from said vertical to said horizontal position opra in from the exterior of the car, means operable from the exterior of the car for engaging said door while in horizontal position and shifting it toward the door opening a distance sutiicient for said door to complete its movementinto vertical position by gravity, including" a lever pivoted to swingin a horizontal plane and having at its free end means for receiving the edge of the door remote from the car opening when the door is in horizontal position, a flexible connection with said lever having its terminus lo cated exteriorly of the car whereby the free end of the lever may be shifted toward the car door opening, and means normally maintaining said lever with the tree end thereof at the limit of its movement in a direction away from said door opening definedby said flexible element.

4t. In a grain-car door structure and in combination with a car having a side wall opening, a vertical support secured to the car walls at the sides of said opening and each embodying a flange directed toward the opposite side of the opening, a door comprising a plurality of transversely extending sections abutting the inner faces of said flanges, each of said sect-ions being provided at the ends thereof with wear plates opposing the flanges, the inner faces of said wear plates having bearings, the wear plates having openings formed therein between the bearings, rollers mounted in said openings, shafts freely directed through said open ings and bearings, said bearings being lo- 'ated within recesses formed in the faces oi? the sections, the side walls of said recesses preventing displacement of the shafts of the rollers, and brackets engaging said door sections adjacent the ends thereof and having arms extending in parallel relation to the flanges at the opposite sides thereof from the sections, and rollers mounted upon said arms for engagement with the flanges.

5. The combination with a freight-car having the usual side door opening and shiftable door upon the exterior of the car closing said openin of vertical tracks leated at opposite sides of the door opening within the car and having a sealing engagen'lent with the sides of the door open ing, horizontal tracks connected with said vertical tracks and extending transversely of the car, a door shiftable upon said tracks from a vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the upper part of the car where the door open: ing is vacated, means for shifting said door upon the tracks from said vertical to said horizontal position operable from the exterior of the car, and means operable from the exterior oithe car for latching the last ill) named means to prevent return movement of the door.

6. The combination with a freight-car having the usual side door opening and shiftable door upon the exterior of the car closing said opening, of vertical tracks located at opposite sides of the door opening within the car and having asealing engage merit withthe sides of the door opening, horizontal tracks connected with said vertical tracks and extending transversely of the car, a door shiftable upon said tracks from a vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the up per part of the car where the door opening is vacated, means for shifting said door upon the tracks from said vertical to said horizontal position operable from the exterior of the car, including a shaft mounted in bearings above the door opening of the car, flexible connections between said shaft and the door at the lower end of the door, a shaft directed through the wall of the car and engageable at its outer end with means whereby it may be rotated, a shaft and gear connection for the first and last named shafts, and a housing for said shaft and gear connection. i

7. The combination with a freight-car having the usual side door opening and shiftable door upon the exterior of the car closing said opening, of vertical tracks located at opposite sides of the door openingwithin the car and having a sealing ongageinmui with the sides of the door opening, horizontal tracks connected with said vertical tracks and extending transversely of the car, a door shiftable upon said tracks from a vertical position where it seals the door opening to a horizontal position in the upper part of thecar where the door open ing is vacated, meansclhr shifting; said door upon the tracks from said vertiial to said horizontal position operable from the cxte rior of the car, including a shaft mounted in bearings above the door opening of the car, flexible connections between said shaft and the door at the lower end of the door, a shaft directed through the wall of the ca r and engageahle at its outer end with means whereb; it may be rotated, a shaft and gear connection for the first and last named shafts, and a housing for said shaft and gear connection through which the last named shaft extends interiorly of the car whereby to permit operationof the last named shaft from the interior of the car.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

CARL 1:. TWEDT. MARTIN I-IEGG. 

